Friday's Finds: It's all about marketing

Here are this week's "finds."

1. 66 colors for $4.49? Really?? Yes, really. The catch is that you get only a dot of each, but it is worth it. Daniel Smith sells these Try-It Color Sheets through its Web site  -- http://www.danielsmith.com/ -- and catalog. The sheet groups colors into three categories: (1) Primatek Colors (manufactured by Daniel Smith's proprietary slow-grinding process of pure minerals), (2) Quinacridone, Cadmium & More and (3) Luminescent Colors. It's cheaper than a movie, and you'll get more than two hours of entertainment out of one Try-It Sheet. (Someone at Daniel Smith is a brilliant marketer, don't you think?)

2. Speaking of marketing: Last spring, Maribeth McKaig and I were making our way through galleries in the Phoenix area and came across a series of postcards from the Cave Creek Gallery Association. We loved the sentiments: Remember when you tried your first crayon? Have you ever had an abstract thought? If you have never bought a piece of art, you may be a minimalist? Do you ever pattern the water rings your glass makes? And my favorite: Do you ever add salsa to your food "for color"? If you have some slogans along the same vein, click on Comments below and share them with us.
3. And now for your marketing opportunity: Ivy Tech is inviting artists to apply for gallery space at the Waldron Arts Center in downtown Bloomington. Instead of paying a commission on sales, artists will now pay gallery rental with monthly rates ranging from $55 for the Vault Gallery to $165 for the Rosemary P. Miller Gallery. Gallery management will facilitate communication between artists and buyers, but artists will handle their own sales and keep 100 percent. Go to www.ivytech.edu/bloomington/waldron and click on Artist FAQs for information about insurance, sales, rentals, etc.  The site also has a link to http://www.ivytech.slideroom.com/ for electronic submissions.  (Don't be intimidated by this. The site's video tutorial explains it all, and it looks as easy as attaching photos to e-mails.) The deadline is Dec. 1.